Has Rick Grimes Hung Up His Gun for Good? Andrew Lincoln Weighs In

Are you already bored with the Farmer Rick storyline? Well, whether or not you think Rick Grimes's abrupt transition from Ricktator to farmer is a good thing, actor Andrew Lincoln thinks this time of peace and vegetables may not last long. There will be a huge shakeup within the prison, thanks to the new internal threat (soo weee!) and we’re not certain Rick will take it sitting down.

“Rick's responsibilities are, first and foremost, for his two children. That's what he's realized and that's why he's renounced leadership,” Andrew told THR. “He's not part of the council. He doesn't even get involved in [supply] runs anymore. He's renounced the brutality of the world for the sake of his children.”

However, it sounds like that renouncement might be temporary, and not because Rick realizes he wants to get back in the saddle. It looks like things are going to get bat poop crazy, but that’s expected, right?

Andrew considers Season 4 Rick to be “a retired cop getting ready to get back to business.” That clearly indicates that farming won’t be his top priority. And while Andrew thinks Rick won’t be completely uncomfortable using his gun again, he worries about what it will mean when it comes time for him to give Carl back his own weapon. Might we have a little sociopath in the making?

“I love putting that gun back on,” says Andrew, “but it's heartbreaking as well because he eventually has to give that gun back to his son, something that is yet again a semi-failure.”

Carl needs his gun back? That can’t be good for anyone.

Andrew says that forces outside of the group’s control will throw them into a tailspin, and the group will be in need of strong leadership — the pressure for this mainly coming from Daryl Dixon (Norman Reedus). Rick reveals, “Daryl respects Rick's decision, which I love, but he's still pressuring Rick that the group needs him. Every scene that we play is like, ‘I respect it, but you've got to come back. We need you now more than ever.’”